Jyothi Venkatesh
Saand Ki Aankh has been making headlines ever since its announcement thanks to its interesting subject that documents the inspiring story of the world's oldest sharpshooters Chandro & Prakashi Tomar , also known as the "Shooter Dadis" . Starring Taapsee Pannu & Bhumi Pednekar, the drama marks the directorial debut of acclaimed scriptwriter Tushar Hiranandani and is set in the hinterlands of UP.While the transformations of the young stars into the veteran sharpshooters has been a subject of intrigue and heated discussion , very few know that the makers had originally approached actresses in a senior age bracket to essay the roles of Chandro & Prakashi Tomar. Producer Nidhi Parmar reveals “Initially, we did approach actors of that age bracket or closer to the age of 55/60 since we felt the portrayals would be more convincing. However, most declined as they didn’t want to be seen in a non glamorous avatar and /or felt that there was simply too much prep they would need to put in. In fact even the younger actresses had the same concerns. Bhumi and Taapsee were the only two who had the courage and faith to take on the roles.These young stars took it up as a challenge and have shown a great deal of pluck in essaying a role that's almost twice their actual age and for not just a tiny portion in the film but almost the entire screentime.”
Taapsee Pannu said, "Instead of it being an issue, people should be pleasantly surprised that we took up these roles because no one has ever questioned when a lot of other actors ( including myself ) have played college kids. I have played a college kid after turning 30 and no one questioned me then. I feel these decisions should be acknowledged as there are few actors who are ready to take the risk of ageing on screen unapologetically , amidst the race to look younger with every film".Adds Bhumi Pednekar, "At first when I was approached for the film, I laughed and couldn’t believe that Tushar wanted me to play a part that was more than double my age. But Tushar’s conviction and the story stayed with me. I realized that this was probably a golden opportunity and the most exciting role I could portray in this phase of my career and at this age. It’s one of the biggest challenges and challenges really drive me! Right from my first film I’ve tried to push the boundaries and saand ki aankh did exactly that and more for me. People in the past have played characters older than their age successfully. A great example is Mr. Kher in saransh or Nargis ji in Mother India. Which brings me to the point that if we can play characters that are younger than our real age then why can’t we play older characters as well ? We are actors and this is what we do. Therefore, no part or character should be off limits." Reliance Entertainment presents Saand Ki Aankh produced by Reliance Entertainment, Anurag Kashyap, Nidhi Parmar (Chalk n Cheese Films).
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